Crystal Light Academy
by Angel Princess 31
Summary: It's junior year, and everything that Paisley has been dreaming about for two years seems to be coming true. Dating her true love, going on adventures. But dating the Prince proves to be harder than she thought. What will his parents think? Will she make a good impression? Crystal Light Academy - where Princes and Lords and commoners all attend the same school. Real-world AU
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my story! :) I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Paisley set her things down by her bed. Her roommate - and best friend - had yet to arrive. She looked out the window across the school grounds. She watched as a black limo drove up and parked. The driver got out and opened the door. She watched as a boy with sandy blond hair got out and stood up-

Her heart lurched. It was Prince Benedict.

"Staring won't make it happen any sooner," a voice behind her said.

Paisley whipped around. "Peridot!"

She ran and embraced her friend, who was laughing. "Hi Pais," she said, a wide smile on her face as she pulled away from her friend. "How's the Prince crush going?"

"I do not have a crush on the Prince!" Paisley argued, her cheeks heating up. "Uh-huh," Peridot said, walking over to her bed and setting her things down. "I don't," Paisley said meekly, the heat in her cheeks still present. Peridot smirked. "Well, enough about you! Aren't you going to ask me about _my_ love life?"

" _Your_ love life? What are you talking about?"

Peridot squealed. "You wouldn't believe it!" She hopped up and down in excitement. "Chasewell asked me out!"

"Chasewell? Who is Chasewell?"

Peridot sighed. "Chase? Head of the sports team?"

"Oh . . . Chase." Paisley said. Peridot squealed again. "He's _soooooo_ handsome!"

"Uh-huh," Paisley said slowly, distracted. She walked back over to the window, but Benedict and the limo were gone. She sighed internally. Her expression fell, but she recovered before she turned back to her roommate. "When are you guys going out?" Paisley asked her. "Tonight," she said happily, unpacking her clothes. "He told me it's going to be really romantic. Our first day back at school . . . a new year . . . , a new us." She sighed dreamily, staring at the ceiling and hugging a folded shirt to her chest. "Yuck," Paisley muttered, walking over to her bed. Peridot blinked at her. "Oh come on, you're a romantic, I know you are."

"But that's just plain cheesy."

"I thought it was romantic."

"Yeah, for a guy who's going to dump you halfway through the semester."

"He is not!"

A knock sounded on their door. "What time is it?!" Peridot shrieked. "Uh . . . , five?" Paisley said, walking towards the door. " _Oh my gosh Chase is here for our date!_ " She scrambled off to the walk-in closet. "Tell him I'll be ready in a few minutes!" She yelled.

Paisley opened the door. "Hi Chase," she said, looking behind him. "Uh, Parsley, right?" She frowned. "Paisley." His smirked faltered some. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Forget it," Paisley said quickly. "Peridot said she'd be ready in a few minutes."

"She probably didn't realize what time it was and is now scrambling to get ready." He laughed softly. "She's amazing, isn't she?" He leaned on the doorframe, a dreamy smile on his face. "I think someone gave you guys love potion," Paisley muttered, stepping away from the door. "Why would they do that?" Chase asked, a concerned frown gracing his features. "Nevermind," Paisley sighed, turning back to their room. Peridot came rushing back, her cheeks flushed. "Chase!" Her face lit up in a huge smile, and she hugged him tightly. "Per," he said, breathing deeply in her hair. "You smell amazing," he whispered in her ear. She giggled. "Thanks." She gave him a quick peck on the lips, and then entwined her fingers with his. She grabbed the door handle and pulled it closed as she called to Paisley. "I'll be out late, don't wait up for me!"

"Whatever," Paisley called just before the door slammed. She could hear Peridot's giggling even through the thick oak door. "Yuck," she muttered, kicking her now empty suitcase under the bed. She carried her stack of clothes to the closet and neatly put them away.

She pulled her laptop out and flopped down on her bed, opening it up. She lay on her stomach, and quietly checked her email and the school update site. Nothing new. Just a "Welcome Back to School" picture.

She sighed in boredom and closed her laptop, rolling over onto her back. "My first day back, and it already sucks."

She got up and changed out of her traveling clothes into something more comfortable. She pulled on a black skirt that hit about mid-thigh, and a soft, short-sleeved light pink blouse. She put her hair behind her, and slipped on some shoes, grabbing her phone on her way out the door. She texted Peridot just to be annoying, and then left the dorm building to walk in the extensive gardens.

She walked in through massive stone arch, upon which was engraved "Crystal Light Castle Gardens". That's right - Crystal Light Academy was formerly a castle.

She was walking through the gardenias when a voice stopped her. "Hello!" She looked up. It was Henry, Prince Benedict's best friend. "Oh, hi Henry." He smiled kindly. "Paisley, right?" Her mouth dropped open in surprise. No one remembered her name. She blinked once. Twice. "Uh . . . mm . . . yeah. Yeah, I'm Paisley." Henry smiled. "I thought so. Glad to be back at school?" Paisley smiled shyly. "Well, not for the schooling part . . ." She trailed off as she felt her cheeks heating up. She needed to stop blushing every time she thought of Prince Benedict. Henry laughed. "I feel the same way. Why go to school? There's so much more than school to be done!" Paisley laughed, her cheeks still flushed. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm off. I promised Ben that I'd meet up with him."

Paisley's head shot up. "You're going to go see Prince Benedict?" She could feel the faintest sensation of heat across her cheeks, but she ignored it. Henry nodded. "Yep. He just got here today."

"I saw," Paisley said meekly, looking down at the ground. Henry laughed. "As I'm sure half the girls at school did." Paisley gave him the ghost of a smile. "Yeah, I bet they did." They stood in silence for a moment, Henry seeming to try to read her thoughts. "Well, I better get going," he said abruptly, startling Paisley. "Uh, right! Yeah. Um, nice to see you Henry. Have a good time with the Prince." Henry winked. "I always do."

* * *

"Did she say anything about me?" Benedict asked as soon as Henry opened the door. "Dude, _chill_." Henry said, sitting across from him. "Well, did she?"

Henry sighed. " _Sort_ of. Okay? Why didn't you go down to talk to her?"

"I can't do that!"

"And why not?" Henry asked. "Well, for starters, I'm the Prince. She'd probably freak out." He ran his hand through his hair. "Do you think there's any chance she likes me?" Henry chuckled. "Considering the fact that she was awestruck when I knew her name, blushed whenever I mentioned your name, and saw you arrive at school, I think there's a decent chance." Ben's head snapped up, his eyes wide in surprise. "You're joking, right?"

"Dude - you've liked this girl since freshman year. Why don't you just tell her already? Chasewell asked Peridot out."

"He did?" Ben asked, surprised. Henry nodded. "Yep. You should ask Paisley out - you've only been fantasizing about it for two years."

"But what if she says no?" The hurt that crossed his face was enough to let Henry drop it. "Dude, practice starts tomorrow, and I was a couch potato all summer long." Henry said. Ben laughed. "You're always a couch potato Henry."

"Hey, when you're the son of a Duke, it kind of comes easier."

Ben laughed. "Right."

Henry's cellphone pinged, so he picked it up. It was from his girlfriend, Hollie. " _Hey babe! Miss u :'( But in the meantime, tell Ben that I just saw Paisley walking towards the lake all by herself! *Wink wink* ❤ ;)"_ Henry laughed. "Ben, Hollie just saw Paisley walking towards the lake."

"So?" Ben said, picking up his school bag. "By herself," Henry added, wiggling his eyebrows. Ben rolled his eyes. "No."

" _Oh my! Henry - Ben needs to get down here!"_

" _Why?"_

" _She looks upset - maybe he can help her feel better. Get an inside scoop on her life. Help bring them closer . . . ;)"_

" _This is why you're my girlfriend."_

" _Luv u ❤"_

" _Luv u more ❤"_

" _Do not, but thanks_ _ **;**_ _P"_

"Hey Ben, Hollie says that Paisley looks upset. You should go check it out." When Ben didn't respond, he looked up from his phone to see Ben glaring at him. "What?"

"I'll talk to her on my own terms, not before. Got it?" Ben's serious look made him relent. "Fine . . . but I still think you should tell her-" He was cut off by a pillow hitting him. He laughed. "Okay man, I get it. You're a sensitive soul." He typed a quick message to Hollie. "So, what's the plan for the evening?" Henry asked. Ben shrugged. "I was actually thinking of going for a wa-"

"Perfect. I'm going to go find my girlfriend, because I haven't seen her in _forever_."

"Dude, you saw her yesterday."

Henry smirked. "So I did."

Ben chuckled, shaking his head. He grabbed his school jacket. "Well, I'm going for a walk." Henry lifted his hand in farewell, not looking up from his phone.

Ben shrugged his jacket on, walking out into the gardens, which his dorm overlooked. He looked towards the lake, but decided against going there. If he happened upon Hollie, he'd never hear the end of it. Instead he started walking towards the school stables, which wasn't that far from the lake. He breathed in deeply as the crisp autumn air blew around him. He loved the fall - it was his favorite season.

As he neared the stables, his steps slowed slightly. He knew the silhouette that was leaning against the fence, feeding one of the horses. He felt his heartbeat quicken, and took a deep breath. "Hey, Paisley, right?" He said nonchalantly as he leaned against the fence next to her. She froze. He thought about repeating himself, but she looked at him, the shock evident in her eyes. "Yeah," she said softly, looking right into his eyes. He smiled. "And you're Prince Benedict." Ben chuckled, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah. But call me Ben. I much prefer it. All my friends do." He smiled. She nodded, looking a little nervous. "Okay . . . Ben."

Gosh, it sounded so nice when she said it.

"So, what are you doing out here?" Ben asked her, looking sidelong at her as he petted one of the horses. She shrugged. "I find walks to be relaxing." She chuckled. "And Chasewell stole my best friend."

"Peridot?"

She nodded, smiling slightly at him. "She's been ogling over him for _years_ . . ." Ben chuckled, turning to her. "Funny, because he's been doing the same."

"Really?" Paisley asked, turning to look at him. He nodded. "Funny how that happens sometimes, right?" She opened her mouth, but closed it and turned back to the horse. "Yeah, funny." He took a deep breath silently. "So, no boyfriend to reconnect with this evening?" He asked. She laughed, her nose crinkling. "Nope. No boyfriends for me."

"Oh?" Ben said, raising his eyebrows. She shook her head. "Nope. What about you? No girlfriend?" Ben smirked. "Nope. I'm totally single." He winked. She smiled slightly and turned away from him, but he could see the blush covering her cheeks. He smiled, observing her out of the corner of his eye. She was wearing a black mini skirt, with a soft light pink blouse, and black flats that went perfectly with her petite frame. Her chestnut hair was in soft curls, ending about mid-back. Her flushed cheeks complemented her dark blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sun. When she smiled, her right cheek dimpled.

"What brings you to the stables?" She asked. He smiled. "I find walks to be relaxing." She turned to him, raising her eyebrows. "That's what I said. You can't say what I said." He turned to her, a smirk on his lips. "Oh, I can't? I believe I just did." She narrowed her eyes. "New rule. No copying what I say." Ben stepped closer to her, feeling a little daring. "No copying what _I_ say? Or no copying what _you_ say?" She blinked, staring into his eyes. "Uh . . . no copying . . ." she blinked. "No copying what-" her voice faltered as Ben leaned closer to her. He could feel her breath across his face. "No copying . . . what I say . . ." Her voice trailed off into a whisper. Ben chuckled. "No copying what you say." She nodded, her eyes betraying her. He smirked. "Got it."

He leaned closer to her, feeling her warm breath on his skin. He heard her breath hitch, and smiled slightly. He could see her chin tipping ever so slightly-

"Yo Ben!"

They leapt apart, Ben turning towards the voice. It was Henry. "Hey Henry," Ben called, glancing nervously to his side where Paisley looked like she was going to bolt. "What's up?"

"We're having a 'back at school' round on the field, wanna join?"

"Uh, maybe in a mi-" Ben looked back to his side, but Paisley was gone. "Drats," he muttered. "Yeah, I'm coming." He called, running to join Henry.

 **There it is! I hope you liked the first chapter :)**

 **Just a few notes on how I say Paisley and Peridot's nicknames: Per = Pear. Pais = Pays (and later she'll have one that sounds like "pay-zee)**

 **Thanks for reading! Please review!**

 **Angel Princess 31**


	2. Chapter 2

Paisley slammed her door shut, leaning against it, breathless. "Did that really just happen . . . ?" She whispered to herself. "I . . . almost . . . kissed . . . the Prince!" She screamed-squealed in excitement and jump from foot-to-foot. " _My life is so amazing!_ "

"Whoa, what is up with you?"

Paisley whipped around to see Peridot and Chase standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey you guys. I uh, didn't see you there . . ."

"Obviously," Peridot said, hand on her hip. Paisley smiled sheepishly. "Why are you here?" She asked, looking at them with confusion. "I forgot my jacket," Peridot said, picking it up from her bed. "Oh. I could have brought it to you."

"I think you were a _bit_ too busy dancing around our room."

Paisley laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"What is up, anyway? You're acting like a lovesick schoolgirl." Peridot paused, then smirked. "Oh wait - you _are_ a lovesick schoolgirl."

"Shut up Per," Paisley said, tossing a pillow towards the door where Peridot was joining Chase again. She smirked. "Bye Pais."

"Bye Per."

The door slammed shut, leaving Paisley by herself again.

She turned towards her window, biting her lip in excitement.

How on earth was she going to tell Peridot about this?

* * *

"So," Henry started casually, "who was that?"

"Who was who?" Ben asked, looking sidelong at his friend. Henry sighed. "The _girl_. The one I saved you from. Duh."

"Oh, you mean Paisley?" Ben said, irritation slipping into his voice. Henry's eyes widened. " _That_ was Paisley?" He whistled. "Man, you were about to _blow_ it . . ." Ben narrowed his eyes at him. "And _how_ was I about to blow it?"

"Dude, she would have freaked."

"How?"

Henry shrugged, continuing walking. Ben frowned, but didn't press the subject.

"Henry! Ben!" A guy was waving at them from the field, and he sprinted up. "Hey guys," he said, smirking. "How was your summer?"

"Eh, the usual," Henry said. They then dove into a _very_ interesting conversation about their summers.

Not.

Ben sighed and turned away, his eyes falling on the bleachers where Peridot and Chase were sitting. Or cuddling. Or . . . something.

Chase looked up and waved to him, then went back to talking to Peridot. Ben waved back, even though he thought it wasn't much good - Chase's attention was elsewhere.

As were Ben's thoughts.

One of the boys called that they were gathering to start, so Ben walked over to the field. He saw Chase kiss Peridot's head just before he left. She smiled at him, going back to her phone.

"How was the date?" Ben asked Chase as he trotted up. Chase grinned. "Great. Peridot is awesome. I mean, I knew that before, but she's just . . . perfect in every way for me." Ben smiled. "I think someone's been playing in the love potions." Chase laughed. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" Ben was about to question him about it, but he was cut off by the other boys who were organizing the game.

Over on the bleachers, a few people sat watching them. Peridot was texting some of her friends, and a few other girls were there, tittering about the boys.

"Hey Per,"

Peridot looked up. "Pais! What're doing here?" Paisley held her phone up. "You texted me, 'member?"

"Oooh," Peridot said. "Right." She grinned, patting the bleacher next to her. "Sit by me, we'll talk about the game."

"Are we going to talk about the game, or are you going to try to interrogate me about why I was dancing around our room?" Paisley questioned. "You know me too well my friend," Peridot said dramatically, hand over her heart. "But seriously - what was that all about?"

" _Nothing_ ," Paisley insisted, looking over at the field. Peridot looked at her for a few seconds. "Ugh, he's down-field." Paisley frowned at her. "Look - _I_ am a curious person. I need _details_ Pais. _Details_!" Paisley sighed. "Fine. I was taking a walk, and stopped at the stables where Ben joined me-"

" _Ben_?"

"Prince Benedict? Anyway - he joined me, and then we were talking, and then he leaned in really close to me and-"

" _He kissed you, right_?" Peridot whisper-screamed. "Shh!" Paisley hissed, covering Peridot's mouth. " _No_ , he did not kiss me. Henry interrupted us."

"But he _would_ have kissed you."

"No. Don't be ridiculous. He was probably just messing with me."

"Pais, I've been telling you for _years_. He _totally_ likes you!"

"Look, can we just watch the game in peace? This whole 'liking' and boyfriend/girlfriend stuff is starting to turn my stomach." Peridot huffed, but didn't say anything else.

The game progressed well. Peridot kept sighing dreamily at Chase, who'd wave and wink to her whenever he passed by. The other girls kept tittering, and they would giggle whenever some flirty jock would wink at them.

Paisley focused on the game, keeping score in her head and evaluating the players. Of course she was paying special attention to Ben, but she was trying to make sure that wasn't obvious.

"Hey Paisley, some of the girls are going out with the guys after the game, wanna join?"

Paisley blinked and looked up. "Huh? Oh, um. No thanks. I have some stuff to get done tonight." The girl shrugged. "Whatever. Your loss." She walked off, her skirt swishing. Paisley went back to the game.

"Hey Per?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't think I'm a social recluse, do you?"

When she didn't respond, Paisley turned to see her friend staring shocked at her. "What?"

"Pais, look - you're super smart, you're beautiful, and you're really funny and friendly. There's no way you're a social recluse. Selective, yes. Recluse? No."

Paisley smiled. "Thanks Per." Peridot smiled. "Anytime."

When the game was over (Ben's team won by a landslide), Peridot rushed onto the field to Chase, who picked her up and swung her around while she laughed and told him to put her down. Ben looked over to the bleachers, and saw Paisley by where Peridot had been sitting. He'd noticed her earlier in the game, but didn't say anything. She was still there, a small smile on her face. He waved, his grin still huge from the victory. She smiled and waved back shyly. Ben slapped Henry on the shoulder, told him he'd be back and trotted over to Paisley. "Hey," he said, moving his hair out of his eyes. "Hi," she said, looking up at him. "That was a good game."

"Thanks."

"I think Alexander and Florence are your biggest competition - they both have similar skill sets to you, but each of you varies on which things you're better at - Alex is a faster sprinter, and Florence can throw farther than anyone else out there."

Ben blinked. "Were you . . . strategizing the game?" Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed. "Uh, no! It . . . it was just an observation-"

"Because I was thinking the same thing."

She stopped, looking up at him. "What?" He sat down next to her, turning to her. "What you said. About Alexander and Florence. I was thinking the same thing." She blinked, her eyebrows raising slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah."

They sat staring at each other for a few minutes. Ben broke the silence. He stood up, offering his hand to her. "Wanna go for a walk?" Her lips parted slightly, and she looked towards the field. "Aren't you going out with the guys?" He shrugged. "They won't miss me. Come on," he encouraged. She took his offered hand, a slight smile on her face. "Okay then." He smiled, helping her up. When she stood up, he made no move to let go, but she didn't seem to notice. "Where are we going?" she asked as they walked around the bleachers. "I dunno yet - I figured we'd just walk." She smiled. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

Paisley giggled, running around the corner and ducking behind one of the stone pillars. "Paisley . . . ," Ben whined, walking into the stone garden. "This is unfair - I just played a whole game . . ." She smirked from her hiding place and considered saying something, but decided against it. "And you have an unfair advantage, because I'm really bad . . . at this game!" Paisley screamed and wiggled when he started tickling her. "Ben!" She gasped through her laughter, "stop, stop!" He laughed, ceasing tickling her. "That teach you a lesson?" He asked jokingly. Paisley giggled. "Maybe. But probably not." She smirked at him, and he smirked back.

The clock tower chimed, telling them it was ten o'clock.

"Oh my goodness!" Paisley exclaimed. "I didn't realize it was this late!"

"You have a curfew?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow. Paisley laughed. " _No_. What am I, _twelve_?"

"Well . . ."

"Hey!"

Ben laughed when she punched him. "Just kidding." They started walking back to the dorms. "I . . . had a great time," Paisley said shyly, looking at the ground. "Me too," Ben smiled, and she looked up at him, a small smile gracing her lips. "We should do this more often."

"Hang out, or run off by ourselves?"

He chuckled when her mouth dropped open, and her cheeks flushed. "I . . . I meant hang out . . ." He laughed, taking her hand. "I know. I'm just teasing." She stuck her tongue out at him, but didn't remove her hand from his grasp. Their steps stopped, and they stood facing each other. "Paisley, I have something to confess," Ben said softly, gently touching a strand of her hair. "What?" She asked softly, looking up at him through her thick eyelashes. "I've kind of l-"

" _Ben_?!"

They turned abruptly to see Hollie staring at them.

"And _Paisley_?"

Paisley blinked, glancing at Ben nervously. "Yeah . . . ?" Hollie smirked. "MmHmm . . ." She looked at Ben, and her smirk faltered some. "Oh! Silly me, ha ha. I was just looking for Henry. Have you seen him?" Paisley shook her head, her hand feeling extra warm in Ben's. Hollie smiled. "Okay, thanks! As . . . as you were," she said quickly and scampered off.

"I . . . I should get back," Paisley said slowly, taking a few steps away from Ben. "Right," he said, taking a few steps the other direction. "I'll see you tomorrow?" She nodded, her hand slipping from his. "Yeah. Bright and early."

"Okay."

She nodded, then turned and fast walked towards her dorm. Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

 **There it is! Chapter 2 :) Let me know what you think of the story so far - please review!**

 **Angel Princess 31**


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